This patent is a cont. of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7120 from International Application No. PCT/EP00/00645, which was filed on Jan. 27, 2000.
The present invention relates generally to firearms, and more specifically to a firing pin mounting assembly for a firearm.
The firing pin in firearms should be inspected occasionally in order to determine if problems exist, such as compression or cracking. These problems can occur if the firing pin is not properly work-hardened from manufacturing imprecision, or if the firing pin strikes an unduly hard base, for example, by penetration of a jamming sand grain. Such defects occur extremely rarely, but cannot be fully ruled out.
If the weapon has fallen into water or is very strongly soiled, the firing pin should also be removed in order to be able to clean the firing pin as well as the guide hole that receives the firing pin.
The firing pin is generally only disassembled by gunsmiths or technical personnel, and thus disassembly does not normally occur within the ordinary scope of breakdown of the weapon. Soldiers are even expressly forbidden to disassemble individual parts, like the firing pin, in modem rapid fire weapons. The soldier may only break down his weapon to the extent absolutely required for normal cleaning and care.
In firing pin mounting assemblies, it is known to have a cross slide (DE-PS 741 616). However, such a cross slide requires a guide whose manufacture is expensive. A cross slide that serves as a firing pin safety is also known from DE 196 05 851.
FR 2 609 538 (Manurhin) concerns a device with convertible firing pins, so that the same firing pin can be used for central and edge-fired cartridges. The firing pin is secured by a transverse pin that can move lengthwise relative to the firing pin, but sits firmly and not spring-loaded in the weapon.
DE 334 448 C (Walther) concerns a retaining pin that moves longitudinally and runs transverse to the firing pin, which is connected in one piece to the extractor via a leaf spring section. However, the retaining pin itself sits firmly and not spring-loaded in the bolt assembly of the weapon.